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Table 1 Frequency of preterm and small-for-gestational age birth according to individual- and area-level characteristics, singleton births, Québec, Canada, 1999–2003

From: The joint influence of area income, income inequality, and immigrant density on adverse birth outcomes: a population-based study

 

PTB

SGA birth

 

%

N*

%

N*

Individual-level characteristics

    

   Maternal birth place

    

Foreign-born

6.3

59 474

9.5

59 432

Canadian-born

6.3

291 149

8.1

290 922

   Maternal education

    

No high school diploma

8.3

41 558

12.0

41 528

High school diploma

7.3

35 473

10.0

35 450

Some post secondary

6.3

67 391

8.9

67 343

Some university or more

5.4

183 041

6.8

182 918

   Maternal age

    

<20 years

8.8

14 236

11.7

14 222

20–34 years

6.1

289 745

8.1

289 529

35+ years

7.0

49 025

8.6

48 976

   Civil status

    

Married

5.7

146 691

7.3

146 590

Cohabiting

6.4

172 401

8.6

172 268

Single

8.9

24 870

11.8

24 840

   Previous births

    

None

7.2

167 749

10.4

167 613

One or more

5.5

185 257

6.5

185 114

   Infant sex

    

Male

6.7

181 422

8.4

181 279

Female

5.9

171 584

8.3

171 448

Area-level characteristics

    

   Income

    

Poorest

6.7

114 187

9.0

114 076

Intermediate

6.4

119 311

8.4

119 223

Wealthiest

5.9

119 508

7.6

119 428

   Immigrant density

    

Low

6.6

115 375

8.1

115 287

Intermediate

6.2

119 046

8.0

118 956

High

6.2

118 585

8.9

118 484

   Income inequality

    

High

6.1

117 485

8.1

117 386

Intermediate

6.3

118 209

8.3

118 120

Low

6.6

117 312

8.5

117 221

   Total

6.3

353 006

8.3†

352 727

  1. PTB = preterm birth; SGA = small-for-gestational-age
  2. * Denominators do not sum to total because missing data are not shown.
  3. † The overall prevalence of SGA birth has declined in Québec in the past decade, which explains the 8.3% prevalence rather than the expected 10% (the SGA reference curves were constructed for 1994–1996 at a time when SGA birth was more common)[31].